Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

• 

  Great, fun car, for a low price - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By CJ - September 22 - 2:35 am

  One of the more fun vehicles that I have driven, but not the best. However, you do get the bang for your buck! The options you get for $20K are phenomenal and you will not find that with any other vehicle in this class. The best part about this car? Modifications, this car adjusts to mods very well; I have about $2K in aftermarket parts on this car and have had ZERO issues. The one complaint I would have regarding performance is the DCT transmission, it is not the best but, I have heard that it is an issue with other Hyundai models. The interior and exterior are very nice, minus the cheap plastic that Hyundai is known for, I have yet to have any issues after 6 months of owning the vehicle. I get a lot of compliments on both the exterior and interior. The basic tech package is really good too, its something that you would have to pay extra when purchasing other vehicles. I did forget one thing, the tires that come on this vehicle from the dealer SUCK! I am not a fan of the Kuhmo tires at all, they are absolutely terrible in rain and other road conditions. If you have the extra money, buy new tires before you hydroplane.

• 

  Nice car - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jh - September 22 - 12:45 am

  Nice car for the $. Tons of options included for under $30k

• 

  Low Cost - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By glendye - September 21 - 6:26 am

  This is one of the nicest suvs I have had to date. I has everthing you really need on it, the ride is smooth and quiet, with plenty of power. The Gas mileage was not real good at first, but changed it to amsoil 0w-20 and changed the transmission fluid over to amsoil ATF and the gas mileage went up. I was getting 18 and 22, now get 21 city and 28 Hwy. Which made a big difference.

• 

  No match for excellence yet - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By scott - September 21 - 4:20 am

  So many people are talking about it so I gave it a try. It sure looks like a elegant car, some what BMW, some what mercedes, some what Lexus. Yet, it is none of those, and that is the problem. There is total lack of personality. Well, car is just a car taking you from point A to point B. May be. Finding a car is not just a transportation device to me that actually bothers me.

• 

  Excellent car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tibbylover89 - September 21 - 4:00 am

  I can not tell you very much, because I have only had this car less than a month! This car has amazing handling, its not terrible in the rain, the manual mode can be fun, the back seat room is very limited; but I do not usually have many people in the back seat anyways. I love to drive this car on rt. 81, I can really "unleash the beast". I got so much car, for only 8,500! It only has 55,000 miles! I fell inlove with Tibbys when my b/f got one. His is an 01 and at 90k miles, it drives like it is brand new! Highly recommend this car!

• 

  My Hundai - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By mikewomack - September 21 - 2:00 am

  Reliable small car. This is my third Hyundai and the best overall. I had a problem with the transmission early on but Hyundai evantually replaced it and it has been humming along ever since. Other than normal wear and tear I havent had many problems, and I am one who doesnt believe in expensive 25, 50 etc. services. As someone said recently...Hyundais can no longer be criticized as cheap cars.

• 

  Looks and Feels Like Its "High-End" - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Hap H. - September 20 - 9:53 pm

  I drove the XG-350 (rental) on several business trips to the Washington DC area. I actually thought I was getting into a blend of Jaguar and Lincoln the first time I saw it. It wasnt until I was out of the dark parking garage that I realized my "up-grade" was a XG-350. After that I made it a point to drive them when I could. Its solid, smooth, and quiet at and above interstate speed limits. Truth is it will fly at relatively moderate RPM. At speed limit (65-70 mph) I get 32-33 MPH. Above speed limit 21-22 MPH is the norm. Its quietness will deceive you. Dont be surprised when you think you are doing 70 and its 85 or above. Love this car. Its a winner in all categories.

• 

  Fun to drive - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By jhitchens - September 20 - 12:26 pm

  This car is an excellent choice if you are looking for a car that is fun to drive and you need that extra cargo space behind the back seat. My large dog loves the room he has there behind the back seat. When you need even more room, just fold down the back seats and WOW you have a lot more space. Driving is fun, with quick steering response and peppy little engine will get you up to hwy speed quickly. I have almost 50,000 miles on mine, and I have had no problems. I just follow the routine maintenance suggestions and that is it. I am retired, and my drive each day usually is about 3 to 12 miles with stops or lights in-between. I average 24 mpg. When I do take a trip, I get about 32-33 mpg on

• 

  Looks and Feels Like Its "High-End" - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Hap H. - September 20 - 7:26 am

  I drove the XG-350 (rental) on several business trips to the Washington DC area. I actually thought I was getting into a blend of Jaguar and Lincoln the first time I saw it. It wasnt until I was out of the dark parking garage that I realized my "up-grade" was a XG-350. After that I made it a point to drive them when I could. Its solid, smooth, and quiet at, and above interstate speed limits. Truth is it will fly at relatively moderate RPM. At speed limit (65-70 mph) I get 32-33 MPH. Above speed limit 21-22 MPH is the norm. Its quietness will decieve you. Dont be surprised when you think you are doing 70 and its 85 or above. Love this car. Its a winner in all categories.

• 

  Timing distruciton - 1997 Hyundai Sonata
  By bhart - September 20 - 2:00 am

  You should get your timing belt changed before you hit the 65000 mark. The car has no saftey engine shut off when the timing belt goes and the engine is therefore ruined and you will need a whole new one because all of the valves get smashed together. I was only in my driveway when mine went without any warning. I turned my car on and boom the timing belt went and so did the engine. Buyer beware.